GOP Senators Stoke Racial Controversy With Arguments Against D.C. Statehood

TOPLINE

Republican senators have attempted to navigate a socio-political minefield as they argue against statehood for Washington, D.C., frequently casting residents of overwhelmingly white, sparsely-populated Western states as more deserving of the franchise than residents of the nation’s urban, majority non-white capital.

KEY FACTS

Chief Critic 

“I cannot tell you how utterly offensive and willfully ignorant it is to say that ‘real people’ do not live in D.C.,” said NARAL President Ilyse Hogue in response to Daines’ comments. “The erasure of Black Americans, the erasure of working class and low income people, the erasure of families is inexcusable.” Washington Post reporter Fenit Nirappil noted, “when you bash D.C. as a government city, you also cannot ignore that the federal government has been a pathway into middle class for African Americans shut out of other industries.”

Big Number

11%. Republicans have habitually struggled with voters of color, and Black voters in particular. An Economist/YouGov poll released Tuesday found that just 11% of Black voters and 23% of Hispanic voters have a favorable view of the Republican Party, with similar numbers saying they would vote for Republican congressional candidates. A Pew Research poll on Tuesday put Trump’s support among Black voters at just 7%.

What To Watch For

While America is highly unlikely to get its 51st state in 2020, the same cannot be said for 2021. Former Vice President Joe Biden consistently leads Trump in both national and swing state polls, often by wide margins, while Democrats are well-placed to maintain their House majority and retake the Senate. Biden has supported statehood since 2015 and an increasing number of Democratic senators are co-sponsoring a statehood bill. Republicans could filibuster a statehood effort, but Democrats have openly discussed eliminating the filibuster if they regained the majority.